The present invention relates generally to office chairs, and more particularly, to a height-adjustable, tiltable office chair which supports the body of a user in ergonomically desirable positions for performing various tasks.
Office chairs are typically configured to allow tilting of the seat and backrest as a unit or tilting of the backrest relative to the seat. In chairs having a backrest pivotally attached to a seat in a conventional manner, the movement of the backrest relative to the seat can create shear forces acting on the legs and back of the user. These shear forces tend to cause an uncomfortable pulling of the user""s clothing. In an attempt to compensate for these shear forces, some office chairs include a backrest which pivots while the seat tilts, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,859,801 (Moore) and 4,429,917 (Diffrient). To provide a chair which naturally conforms to the pivotal movement of both the legs and trunk of a user between tilt positions, it is desirable to provide a chair having a seat and backrest which pivot generally about the axis of the hip joints of the user.
To further ensure comfortable tilting between tilt positions and enhance the comfort of a user while in a given tilt position, it is desirable to provide a chair having a tilt mechanism with an effective pivot point about the ankles of the user. Such an ankle tilt feature decreases the effort required to tilt the chair, reduces the pressure of a forward edge of the seat acting on the underside of a user""s leg, and allows the feet of the user to remain flat on a floor.
Although some tilting chairs have incorporated such an ankle tilt feature, none have comprehensively addressed the overall body posture and relative positioning of body parts for ensuring comfort and minimizing fatigue regardless how intensely a user works. In most office environments, a worker performs several tasks such as writing at a desk, dictating, using the telephone, or typing at a video display terminal (VDT). Not only do such tasks vary in the inherent intensity of the work being performed, but an individual may also desire to increase or decrease the work intensity of a given task. As a result, the optimal position of the body for ensuring comfort and minimizing fatigue also varies. Thus, it is desirable to provide a chair which automatically supports the body parts of a user in ergonomically optimal positions for performing intensive, moderate, or relaxing modes of work. It is also desirable to provide adjustable armrests for positioning the arms of a user in optimal locations for various tasks regardless of the size and shape of a user.
A related disadvantage of conventional office chairs is the configuration and material of the seat and/or backrest. Such seats typically include single or multi-density foam padding with a covering such as cloth, leather or the like. This type of seating provides a deformable cushion which conforms to the user""s buttocks. However, a deformable cushion does not provide a self-adjusting support which varies according to the position of the user and the tilt position of the seat. Such seating also tends to provide insufficient aeration since it acts as another layer of clothing. In chairs incorporating flexible membranes, the membranes are typically attached directly to the frame of a seat. Often the membrane is attached to the frame by wrapping edge portions of the membrane around spaced apart rods which define the frame. The membrane of such a seat is difficult to repair and/or replace since the chair would typically have to be disassembled to allow such maintenance. In addition, the structural requirements of such an attachment limits the shape and size of the frame and the membrane.
Typically, the seats of office chairs are supported by a single stage telescoping column which provides for vertical adjustment of the seat. These columns include a gas spring mounted in a telescoping tube which is slidable within a base tube. In accordance with guidelines set by the American National Standards Institute (A.N.S.I.) and Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer""s Association (B.I.F.M.A.), conventional office chairs in the United States are typically adjustable from a seat height of about 16.0 inches from a floor to about 20.5 inches from a floor. Nevertheless, it is desirable to exceed this range of height adjustment to account for very small or large users and to accommodate the international population in general.
Typically, it is difficult to exceed this range of height adjustment with seats which tilt about the knees or ankles of a user. To offset the moments acting on single stage support columns, pneumatic manufacturers typically set a minimum overlapping distance of 2.95 inches (75 mm) between the tubes. Because such xe2x80x9cankle tiltxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cknee tiltxe2x80x9d chairs have relatively large tilt housings, it is difficult to provide a lower minimum and higher maximum seat height while maintaining the required overlapping distance between the tubes. These types of tilting chairs also impart a greater moment on the tubes since the pivot axis is offset from the support column. It is therefore desirable to provide a vertically adjustable support column having a greater overlapping distance to permit a greater stroke which decreases the minimum height and increases the maximum height of a chair seat.
Briefly stated, the invention is directed to an office chair having a seat, a back and a pair of armrests which support the body of a user in ergonomically desirable positions for performing various tasks.
In one aspect of the invention, a linkage assembly is adapted to allow the seat and back to tilt downwardly and rearwardly and to allow pivotal movement of the seat about a pivot axis in substantial alignment with the hip joints of a user to inhibit shear forces from pulling the clothing on the body of a user.
In another aspect of the invention, the linkage assembly is adapted to allow the seat and back to tilt downwardly and rearwardly such that the seat pivots about an effective pivot point at substantially the ankle of a user having feet resting on a floor.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a vertically adjustable column includes an outer guide tube, an intermediate telescoping tube slidably positioned within the outer guide tube, and an inner telescoping tube slidably positioned within the intermediate tube. The outer guide tube is mounted to a support stand and the inner tube has an upper portion thereof connected to a seat support member. A gas spring is provided and includes a cylinder mounted within the inner tube, a piston rod extending outwardly from the cylinder and having an end connected to a bottom portion of the outer guide member, and a control pin assembly mounted to an upper portion of the cylinder for operable engagement with an actuator member. The piston rod is extensible between a collapsed position in which the cylinder and inner tube are substantially within the intermediate tube and the intermediate tube is substantially within the outer guide tube, and a raised position in which a portion of the cylinder and inner tube extend outwardly from the intermediate tube and a portion of the intermediate tube extends outwardly from the outer guide tube.
In another aspect of the invention, the seat and back of the chair include a frame member having an central opening therethrough and a receptacle formed around the perimeter thereof. A membrane of elastic material covers the central opening and is adapted to be attached to a carrier member which fits inside the receptacle.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a pair of armrests are adapted to be mounted to the chair to allow pivotal movement thereof in a plane substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the back to accommodate the angle at which the forearms of a user are positioned.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the linkage assembly includes a pair of first links having an end pivotally attached to the lateral portions of the seat to define a pivot axis in substantial alignment with the hip joints of a user. A pair of second links have a first section rigidly connected to the first links and the back and a second section angled downwardly from the first section. The second section terminates in an end pivotally mounted to a forward portion of the base member. A restraining link has one end pivotally attached to a rear portion of the seat and another end pivotally attached to the base member to limit tilting of the seat. The first links, second links, and restraining links are configured to create an effective pivot point of the seat at substantially the ankles of a user having feet resting on a floor. Thus, the seat pivots about the hip axis of a user such that the angle therebetween increases as the back and seat tilt rearwardly.
The chair preferably includes a bowed section to support the lumbar region of a back of a user. The greater rearward tilting of the back relative to the seat automatically lowers the bowed section to accommodate the changing position of the lumbar region of the user.
Preferably, the chair also includes a height adjustable, flexible strap member positioned horizontally across the back at approximately the lumbar region of the back of a user. The strap member is also laterally adjustable to provide a desired tension for supporting the back of the user. The armrests are preferably adapted to tilt with the back such that the angle therebetween remains constant during tilting. Preferably, the armrests are height adjustable relative to the back frame by a pawl and rack mechanism.
In addition, the membrane of elastic material is preferably pre-stretched prior to insertion of the carrier member in the receptacle to accommodate for the contour of the body of a user. The carrier member is preferably of one-piece construction and is adapted to be press-fit in the receptacle, and the edge portion of the membrane is preferably molded with the carrier member. The carrier member can also be configured to snap-fit into the frame member receptacle, and the edge portion of the membrane can be welded to the carrier member.
The embodiments of the present invention provide significant advantages over other tiltable office chairs. For example, in the most preferred embodiment, the seat and back naturally conform to the body of a user during tilting of the chair to thereby reduce shear forces acting on the thighs and trunk of the user and minimize pressure acting on the underside of the user""s thighs at the knees. This chair also automatically supports the body of the user in ergonomically desirable positions for performing tasks of varying intensity. The user""s weight is distributed evenly and shifts of the center of gravity are compensated for to allow the user to maintain equilibrium and good balance. Thus, the user""s body is positioned to reduce fatigue, allow proper alignment for performing various tasks, achieve maximum alertness or relaxation, and ensure overall comfort. Moreover, the range of vertical adjustment of the chair is increased to allow a lower minimum height and higher maximum height than conventional office chairs.